Electronic coin totalizer



Oct. 18, 1966 J. R. JARvls ELECTRONIC COIN TOTALIZER 2 Sheets-Sheet lFiled Jan. 29, 1965 w NN IJ am @E r d .N E.

MU Nmx J. R. JARvls 3,279,480 ELECTRONIC COIN TOTALIZER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2xl; u@ l. e R ME n n 'd ma v. .mV nu. .nf mw. mi. mw.

Oct. 18, 1966 Filed Jan. 29, 1965 bb r df D United States Patent O 3,279,480 ELECTRONIC COIN TOTALIZER John R. Jarvis, Dallas, Tex., assiguorto Meter-All Mfg. C0., Inc., Dallas, Tex. Filed Jan. 29, 1965, Ser. No.429,037 7 Claims. (Cl. 13S-8) This invention relates to an electroniccoin totalizer which accepts coins of different denominations and whenthe value of the deposited coins accumulates to a certain sum, a signalis generated to initiate an operation ofa coin-operated machine or thelike. In another of its aspects, this invention relates to such atotalizer which can be easily adjusted to change the total value ofcoins which must be deposited before the signal is generated.

In the operation of many coin-operated machines, the deposit of morethan a single coin is required. In many instances, coins of two or moredenominations must be deposited in order to accumulate the necessarycredit for operating the machine. For example, if the charge is 65cents, coins of three denominations must be deposited. In addition tohandling several denominations of coins, it is desirable that atotalizer be of such construction that the total coin value necessary toinitiate the machines operation can easily be changed. For example, thecoinoperated machines owner may want tof run specials on certain days ofthe week. He will therefore desire to periodically change the set valueofthe totalizer.

Various mechanical totalizers have been suggested for accomplishing theforegoing functions. Many of these have been relatively complicated andall have been subject to mechanical maintenance costs inherent in suchtype of equ-ipment.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, flexible, lowcost coin totalizer using electronic components thereby reducingmaintenance costs and improving dependability.

Another Objectis to provide such a totalizer which can not onlyaccommodate different denominations of coins but which can be readilyand positively adjusted to change the total value of the coins depositedrequired to initiate a machines operation. v

Another object is to prov-ide such a totalizer. which can be verycompact and yet which is adjustable over a broad range as tothe totalvalue of coins required to initiate operation. l l

Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent to oneskilled in the art upon consideration of the specification, the appendedclaims and the attached drawing wherein there is shown a preferredembodiment of the invention. l

As indicated in the drawing, the embodiment includes a pulse multipliersection 10 whose function is to sense the deposited coins and togenerate a number of pulses proportional to the denomination of thecoins. For example, one pulse can be generated'for a nickel, two for adirne, five for a quarter and ten for fifty cents. These pulses are fedto a computer section 11 which includes a decade counter to count thepulses. When the decade counter has counted a number of pulsesequivalent to the total ooin value to be deposited to operate themachine, the counter will emit a signal which can be used to initiatethe operation of the coin-operated machine. After this, a reset pulse isapplied to a reset section 12 which causes the computer section 11 to bereset and thereby condition it for the receipt of pulses involvinganother transaction. The reset section includes switch means arranged sothat the total value of the coins to be deposited toI cause the counterto count out and initiate operation of the machine, can be readilychanged.

Turning now to a more specifi-c description, the pulse multipliersection is shown as including a plurality of coin 3,279,480 PatentedOct. 18, 1966 switches 13, 14, 15 and 16. These coin switches arearranged in conjunction with coin receiving means (e.g. chutes) 17-20 sothat when a coin yis dropped into one of the chutes, it momentarilycloses one of the coin switches thereby completing a circuit to send apulse to the pulse multiplier (designated generally by the numeral 21).This multiplier is illustrated as a series of RC coupled NPN transistorsarranged in cascade with the number of stages equal to the total numberof pulses desired to be generated. In this particular instance, it isdesired that ten pulses be generated for the iifty cent piece.Accordingly, the fifty cent coin switch is connected via wire 22 to therst stage. When a fifty cent coin is deposited, switch V16 willmomentarily close thereby providing a positive impulse to the base ofTR2, causing the collector to draw current through R44. At the sametime, capacitor 13 is discharged to a lower value. This results in anegative pulse which is applied to the computer section as describedbelow. When the coin switch opens, TR2 stops conducting and the voltageat TRZs collector increases. T'RS then conducts (resulting in a secondnegative pulse) until C13 is again charged. Then at this point, TR3`stops conducting and TR4 then conducts. As each transistor in turn goesfrom conduction -to off, a pulse appears across R44.

In a similar manner, the twenty-five cent coin switch is connected viawire 23 to the fifth stage so that the deposit of a twenty-five centcoin will cause ,five pulses to be emitted. Also, the ten cent and fivecent coin switches are connected to the ninth and tenth stages by wires24 and 25 respectively, so that deposit of a dirne and a nickel willrespectively cause two pulses and one pulse tobe emitted.

Whileone form of pulse multiplier has been illustrated, it will beappreciated that other forms can be used in the combination, theprincipal requirement being that the number of pulses are proportionalto the denomination of the coins deposited.

The pulses emitted by the pulse multiplier are counted in the computersection which is illustrated as a-1ive stage binary decade counter.Thus, the pulses pass via wire 26 and the contact 27 of relay REl, whichis normally spring biased to the positionl shown, and then via wire 28and capacitor C1 to the first stage of the binary counter. This counteris of conventional construction and, in this instance, is illustrated asemploying neon bulbs as the switching elements. Of course, transistorsor other switching means can be used.

The first pair of neon bulbs provide the first stage of the computer andsince all succeeding stages operate in the same manner, only the firststage will be described in detail.

In normal state (before counting starts), the first stage is in one modewith the neon bulb NE2 conducting and as a result in drawing currentlt-hrough R2, R4 and R5. Therefore the junction of R2 and C2 is at alower potential than the junction between R1 and C2. As a result, C2 ischarged to be positive on the R1 side. Current drawn through the commonresistor R5 raises the potential on the cathode of the neon bulb NE1 andthus there is not enough voltage to fire this bulb. To create aflip-flop and place the first stage in its second mode, a negative pulseis fed to C1 from the pulse multiplier section thereby overcoming thepositive bias on NEI. NEI then fires which discharges C2 causing NE2 tocut off. The second negative impulse from the pulse multiplier causesthe first stage to reverse. This time when NE2 fires, a negative pulseis delivered to C3, thus firing NES and reversing the second stage. Thecomputer continues this form of operation counting in binary from eachinput impulse pulse C1 until the total capacity (n pulses) of thecounter has been reached. At this time, NE10, which previously has beencut off, will tire sending a negative pulse via C11 to the bistablemultivibrator or flip-flop 29 causing it to forward bias TR1. Theresulting conduction of TR1 is suficient to energize relay REl causingit to reverse its contacts. This causes contact 30 t0 be closed therebyclosing the power circuit to the coin-operated machine being controlled.The circuit remains in this condition until it it reset as describedbelow.

Thus there is provided .a decade counter having a total capacity ofcounting n pulses which in the illustrated embodiment is 32. This is theequivalent of requiring $1.60 in coins to be deposited Vto energize thecoin-operated machine. In order that the coin value which must becounted to cause the computer to emit the sign-al energizing the controlmeans REI may be less than that equivalent to n pulses, reset means areprovided to store a count, which can be varied, in the computer.

'Ihe illustrated reset section includes a singe pole, multiposition,tive deck wafer switch. The wipers of t-he respective decks areconnected to a line 30` via diodes D113 through D117 respectively, inorder that a negative reset pulse can be applied to the wipers to resetthe cornputer section as will be described. The respective decks areconnected to the binary stages so as to l'apply the negative reset pulsethereto in such a manner that, depending upon the setting of theswitches, the counter can be reset to insert a coin value, representedby a binary number, which is the difference between the total coin valuewhich can be counted by the computer and the value of the transaction.Thus, deck 31 has alternate contacts (odd numbere-d) connected to neonbulb NEZ by wire 32 and its remaining contacts (even numbered) connectedto neon bulb NE1 by a wire 33. 1n this manner, when the wiper ispositioned on an odd numbered contact, the negative reset pulse will beapplied to the cathode of NEZ to position this particular binary stagein the l position. On the other hand, if the wiper of deck 31 is on aneven numbered contact, the negative pulse will be applied t-o thecathode of NE1 to position the binary stage in the position. Similarly,deck 34 has alternate pairs of its contacts connected to neon bulb NE4by wire 315 with the other alternate pairs being connected to neon NE3by wire 36. Deck 37 has alternate groups of four of its contactsconnected to N156 by wire 38 and the remaining groups of four to NES bywire 39. Deck 40 has alternate groups of eight of its contactsrespectively connected to NES and NIE7 by wires 41 and 42, while deck 43has half (16) of its contacts connected to NE by wire 44 with the otherhalf to NE9 by wire 45. It will thus be seen that the decks areconnected in binary sequence to the respective binary counter stages.Thus with the wiper set on the number 1 contact, the reset pulse willcondition the counter so that only one additional pulse will be requiredto be supplied by the deposit of .a coin in order that the relay REIwill be energized. The number 1 position can be termed the nickelposition because it requires only one pulse. -On the other hand, withthe wipers set on the number 10 position, ten additional pulses will berequired and this will be satisfied when a coin value totaling fiftycents is deposited.

Thus it will be seen that the counter can be reset to require a totalnumber of pulses for count-out within the range of 1 to 32. In thismanner, the coin value required to complete a transaction can be readilyadjusted by simply turning a dial to set the reset switches.

The application of the negative reset pulse can be controlled by .asuitable switch 46 which can be closed by the coin operated machineduring or upon the completion of the transaction. For example, where thecontrol machine Iis a washer, the conventional timer in the Washer canbe utilized to momentarily close switch 46 at the end of the washingcycle. Where the coin operated machine requires only a momentary pulseto initiate its operation, an additional contact 47 can be provided forrelay REI so that when the relay is energized to close on contact 30 toenergize the machine, it will also close on contact 47 to energize acircuit (not shown) to "momentarily close switch 46.

While a five stage binary counter has been shown, it will be appreciatedthat a lesser or greater number of stages can be employeddepending uponthe range of adjustment required and upon the maximum number of pulsesto be counted.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all of the ends and obg'ects hereinabove set forth,together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherentto the apparatus land structure.

1t will be understood that certain features and subcombnations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

This invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. An electronic coin totalizer for use in controlling a coin-operatedmachine comprising, in combination, means for receiving coins ofdifferent denominations, means responsive to the receipt of said coinsfor generating electrical pulses corresponding in number to thedenomination of the coins received, a decade counter coupled to saidpulse generating means to count the number of pulses generated by thedeposit of coins, said counter having a plurality of stages andproducing a signal indicative of the counter having reached a totalcount of n pulses, machine control means responsive to said signal, andreset means coupled to said stages to reset the counter to a conditionrequiring it to count a predetermined number `of pulses less than n inorder to indicate said total count of n pulses. 2. The totalizer ofclaim 1 wherein said reset means includes means for selectivelyconditioning each of said stages in one of two modes whereby saidpredetermined number of pulses to be counted can be varied.

3. An electronic coin total-izer for use in controlling a coin-operatedmachine comprising, in combination, means for receiving coins ofdifferent denominations and generating electrical pulses correspondingin numbervto the denomination of the coins received, a decade countercoupled to said pulse generating means to count the number of pulsesgenerated by the deposit of coins, said counter including a plurality ofbinary stages each having two modes with the last stage producing asignal indicative of the counter having reached a total count of npulses, machine control means responsive to said signal, andmultiposition switch means connected to the respective ones of saidbinary-stages to reset the counter responsive to a biasing voltage beingapplied to the switch means, said switch means being so connected to thebinary stages that the biasing voltage will condition each binary stagein one or the other of its two modes in accordance with the setting ofthe switch means to thereby determine the number of pulses the countermust count before the last stage emits said signal.

4. The totalizer of claim 3 wherein a multiposition switch is providedfor each binary stage wit-h the switches having their contacts connectedto the respective binary stages in binary decade sequence.

5. An electronic coin totalizer for use in controlling a coin-operatedmachine, comprising, in combination, means for receiving coins ofdilercnt denominations, means responsive to the receipt of said coinsfor generating electrical pulses corresponding in number to thedenomination of the coins received, a decade counter coupled to saidpulse generating means to count the number of generated pulses andhaving a plurality of binary stages and a total counting capacity of npulses, machine control means -coupled to the counter to be energizedresponsive to the counter indicating a total count of n pulses, andreset means coupled to at least some of said binary stages to conditionthem so that less 4than n generated pulses are required to cause thecounter to indicate said total count of n pulses.

6. An electronic coin totalizer for use in controlling a coin-operatedmachine comprising, in combination, means for receiving coins ofdifferent denominations and generating electrical pulses correspondingin number to the denomination of the coins received; a decade countercoupled to said pulse generating means to count the number of pulses-generated by the deposit of coins, said counter having a plurality ofbinary stages each having two modes and each adapted to be conditionedto be in one or the other of said modes by the application of a biasingvoltage thereto so that by selectively applying said biasing voltages tothe various binary stages, the counter can be preset to count apredetermined number of pulses less than its total capacity, the laststage of the counter producing a signal indicative of the counter havingreached a total count of n pulses; machine control means responsive tosaid signal; and switch means connected to the respective ones of saidbinary stages to selectively apply said biasing voltage thereto topreset the counter to a condition that a predetermined number of pulsesless than n in number is required to cause the counter to produce saidsignal and by actuating the switch means, to change said predeterminednumber of pulses.

7. The totalizer of claim 6 wherein said switch means includes aplurality of multiposition switches with the switches having theircontacts connected t-o the binary stages in binary decade sequence.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,936,955 5/1960Williamson. 3,067,936 12/196-2 Kasper et al 194-9 X 3,125,203 3/1964Phillips et al 194-9 X 3,161,765 12/1964 IHoberg et al.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRONIC COIN TOTALIZER FOR USE IN CONTROLLING A COIN-OPERATEDMACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEANS FOR RECEIVING COINS OFDIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE RECEIPT OF SAID COINSFOR GENERATING ELECTRICAL PULSES CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THEDENOMINATION OF THE COINS RECEIVED, A DECADE COUNTER COUPLED TO SAIDPULSE GENERATING MEANS TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF PULSES GENERATED BY THEDEPOSIT OF COINS, SAID COUNTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF STAGES ANDPRODUCING A SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE COUNTER HAVING REACHED A TOTALCOUNT OF N PULSES, MACHINE CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL, ANDRESET MEANS COUPLED TO SAID STAGES TO RESET THE COUNTER TO A CONDITIONREQUIRING IT TO COUNT A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PULSES LESS THAN N INORDER TO INDICATE SAID TOTAL COUNT OF N PULSES.